IO Interactive caused quite a stir earlier this year when they launch the Hitman: Absolution trailer “Attack of the Saints”. The studio has made it clear that they aren’t afraid of controversy, so it should come as no surprise to hear that lead designer Torben Ellert recently discussed the exciting potential that comes from Absolution’s “twisted world”.

Speaking to VG247, Ellert explained that because they’ve created a “twisted world” around the relatively stoic Agent 47, they can take the experience in a dark and humorous direction.

I think it’s important as you have the ultimate straight man in the middle and if it was just him in a realistic world the game would really become grim. By twisting the world just a little bit you come to a setting that can have dark humour in it.

In the first game 47 walks up to his target – who I think was a big fat man sitting in a restaurant – and says utterly deadpan, “Fatty foods an kill”. I mean, that’s great but it only works because he’s the straight man and the world around him is so twisted.

What do you think of the direction that IO has taken the Hitman franchise? Have they gone too far? Sound off in the comments below.